News

A Kalamazoo pastor who has criticized police over their handling of protests has lost his seat on a community police review board. Members of the Citizens Public Safety Review and Appeal Board must be “impartial and perform their duties without bias,” City Manager Jim Ritsema said. The Rev. Nathan Dannison’s service won’t be extended when his term ends next week. …

The village of Constantine is one of nearly a dozen Michigan communities to receive a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to modernize rural drinking water and wastewater infrastructure across 28 states. Constantine plans to use a $13.3 million loan to recommission its water treatment facility. Michigan communities are receiving a combined $32 million in loans and about $3.7 …

Residents of Jeremy Lane in Constantine’s Falcon Cove subdivision submitted a petition requesting the village consider reducing the neighborhood’s speed limit of 25 mph to 15. It also requested the village put an additional speed limit sign on the northbound lane as drivers enter from Timm Road. The request was discussed at Monday’s village council meeting. Village manager Mark Honeysett …

The second of a two-week “Fair Food Drive-Thru” event begins today at the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds in Centreville. Stands will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fair board member Kevin Koski said last week’s three-day event was a success and a new group of vendors – seven in all – will be on hand at this week’s offering. …

Vicksburg Village Council members have approved submitting an application that, if accepted, would allow the creation of a so-called Social District for an area of downtown. The measure means alcohol can be taken from a licensed, alcohol-serving business to an outdoor area anywhere within the boundaries of the district. Village attorney Andrew Horne said the specific boundaries of the village’s …

Michigan Department of Transportation is projecting an on-time completion date for the $20-million U.S. 131 redevelopment project in Three Rivers. MDOT’s Nick Schirripa said the agency is zeroing in on a Nov. 16 conclusion for the 2.3-mile project. The redevelopment is in the second of a two-year process. Work this season started March 23 and has included reconfiguring U.S. 131 …

Officers from the Three Rivers Police Department responded over the weekend to a report of a person with a gun at Scidmore Park. Officers were called shortly before 1:30 p.m. Sunday in response to a report of someone with a gun and a possible kidnapping situation. Upon arrival, officers, determined the incident stemmed from a child-custody dispute. Investigators said the …

Here’s a message from the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency. The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services has announced extended enrollment periods are available to help qualifying residents take advantage of low- or no-cost health care coverage options through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Anyone who lost coverage but missed the enrollment window still has options. The first opportunity to …

Three people, including a juvenile, were arrested following a multi-jurisdiction investigation into drug smuggling at Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater. State police said the investigation included representatives from Department of Corrections, the state police drug-enforcement team S.W.E.T., state police aviation unit, state police canine, Michigan DNR and canine officers from the Branch County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities said the department of …

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently revised its list of COVID-19 symptoms, as health officials learn more about the virus. Rebecca Burns, health officer at Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency, said one of the misconceptions about COVID-19 is that if people don’t have a fever, they don’t have the virus. She said a lot of people who have tested …